Today on the podcast Ping, Sarah, and Dorien will be answering questions from you the listeners around the topic of children’s books. How do you get into it? Do you work with self-published authors or art directors etc? If you’ve ever wanted to know more about what goes into illustrating a children's book, then this episode of Thriving Women Artists is for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

For Dorien’s first commissioned children’s book illustration she was contacted by someone through a website she used to showcase her work. She had a little bit of a struggle deciding whether to hand draw or do it digitally, but decided to go digital to improve her skills. Her preference is still analog however.
Sarah did a Masters Degree at Cambridge University in Children’s Illustration and at the graduation show she was contacted by a publisher which is how she got her first work published.
Being an illustrator is not like being an athlete, you don’t do your best work in your 20s. You always grow and learn and your best work is usually still ahead of you.
The nice thing about having a publisher is that they do literally everything except the illustration, they manage everything. The downside to this is that you’ll only be getting a fee or a percentage of the profits. If you self-publish, then there is a lot more work for you but you get to keep more of the money you make.
If you’d like some kind of balance between self publishing and working with a publisher, you can outsource parts of the process, for example get a printer who also distributes your book as well or even outsource your marketing.

BEST MOMENTS

‘If you really want something and work for it and speak it out loud then it can come to you’

‘You never know where your first book will lead you’

‘You can tell one story in so many different ways’

‘Children’s books are a fun project, you live in different worlds, it’s magical’

ABOUT THE PODCAST

A serious and fun podcast for female creatives hosted by Ping, Dorien and Sarah, three happy artists from Amsterdam. This podcast will inspire you to make a living out of your art. We welcome you to be part of this community of like-minded people.

www.thrivingwomenartists.com

www.instagram.com/twapodcast

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Ping He

Ping is a watercolor artist. Her work is inspired by nature and her motherhood experience. She develops her greeting cards brand and teaches Botanical Illustration courses online and offline.

www.pinghe.art

info@pinghe.art

www.instagram.com/pinghe.art

Sarah van Dongen

Sarah is a children’s book illustrator and visual artist. She takes her sketchbooks and art supplies everywhere, which results in illustrations based on observation and daily life.

www.sarahvandongen.com

sarahvandongenillustration@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/sarahvandongenillustrations

Dorien Bellaar:

Dorien is an illustration artist. Her work is mainly focused on illustration for children, editorial/food illustration, hand lettering, and she likes to combine those into both traditional and digital art.

www.dorienbellaar.nl

hello@dorienbellaar.nl

www.instagram.com/dorienbellaar

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Answering Questions from Listeners Part ...